Services for students and universities since 1982

"Pfälzer Woche" 1995 in the Landau canteen

Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz (Association for Student Affairs of the Anterior Palatinate)......helping to make your time at university a success!

The history of the Studentenwerke (Associations for Student Affairs) in Germany goes back almost 100 years. After the First World War, they were founded by students and teachers as self-help initiatives. Their aim was primarily to provide housing and regular meals. By the 1970s, these associations became public institutions governed by public law and regulated by state laws.

In accordance with social change and the varying expectations of students, there are now 58 Studentenwerke or Studierendenwerke in Germany with distinct tasks: They support about 2.2 million students at more than 300 universities in social, financial, and cultural aspects. Simply put: The universities are responsible for teaching and research, the Studentenwerke are responsible for everything related to your time at university and social infrastructure. In addition to the traditional tasks such as operation and management of canteens, cafeterias and residence halls, the range of services now also include social as well as psychological counselling, day care centres, student financing - in almost all federal states BAföG (German Federal Training Assistance Act) -, international affairs and culture promotion as well as other services which are specific to the legal situation of each federal state.

The Studentenwerk Vorderpfalz took over the canteens of the University of Educational Sciences in Landau in 1978 and those of the universities of Applied Sciences in Ludwigshafen and Worms from the Studentenwerk Kaiserslautern. Between 1980-1982, it also assumed responsibility for the respective residence halls. Between 1982 and 1983, the residence halls as well as the canteen in Germersheim (Faculty of the University of Mainz) also became the responsibility of the Studentenwerk, so that, from this point onwards, the areas of responsibility were the same as they are today.

On 01 September 1982, the Studentenwerk established an own management board. The Studentenwerk Vorderpfalz achieved complete independence from Kaiserslautern with its own head of the accounting department in 1985.

In the founding year of the university in 1988/89, the Studentenwerk attempted to build a residence hall in Landau which failed due mainly to real estate issues. In 2003, the Studentenwerk renamed itself “Studierendenwerk”. It was not until 1994/1995 that an investor took over the housing estate Godramsteiner Straße. It took another 20 years until lasting improvements to the housing situation for students in Landau was accomplished. In 2014, a new building was constructed on the edge of the conversion area Quartier Vauban to fulfil the needs of the then more than 7,000 students (compared to the 1,619 students in the winter term 1989/90). In addition to the residence halls on the campus in Worms, the Studierendenwerk was able to create more living space in the conversion area "Liebenauer Feld", most recently in 2015 with the construction of the Max Kade Haus. In Germersheim and Ludwigshafen, there is also available housing which belongs to the Studierendenwerk (Germersheim) or is rented by the Studierendenwerk (Ludwigshafen).

University catering, with its canteens and cafeterias, is available at all locations managed by the Studierendenwerk. In accordance with the continuously increasing number of students, the Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz opened a new, modern and even bigger cafeteria on the campus Fortstraße in Landau in 2001 and gained new space for administrative offices thanks to the reconstruction of the old cafeteria. In the summer term of 2003, a mensaria (a combination of canteen and cafeteria) was opened in the Bürgerstrasse branch of the university. Modernization and expansion are scheduled for 2019. A new canteen wil be opened between 2019-20 in Ludwigshafen

The day care centre ‘Villa Unibunt’ in Landau, which was established in 1998, has been under the responsibility of the Studierendenwerk since 2010. In 2013, the day care centre 'Lindwürmer' was opened in Worms and the day care centre 'Zeppelin' in Germersheim was taken over by the Studierendenwerk. The day care centre 'LUfanten' on the campus in Ludwigshafen was opened in early 2018 whereas 'Zeppelin' in Germersheim had to be closed 2018 - less kids, less specialiced employees.

The Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz and its 140 employees take care of 18,000 students (Effective Oct. 2018) at the campuses in Landau, Ludwigshafen, Worms and Germersheim. As one of 58 Studentenwerke in Germany, the Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz is a public-law institution and subject to the legal and supervisory authority of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The Studierendenwerk is part of the association Deutsches Studentenwerk e.V. The pillars of the Studierendenwerk are the managing director as well as the administrative board. The administrative board represents the universities, students and their respective communities. Since 2010, Prof. Dr. Jendrik Petersen has been the chairman of the administrative board and Andreas Schülke has been the managing director since 01 April 2016.